European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
European Commission
The European Commission at mid-term: State of play of President Juncker’s ten priorities
Written by Etienne Bassot and Wolfgang Hiller, At a time when, more than ever, citizens expect the European Union institutions to address their concerns and deliver on promises and commitments made, this analysis provides an overview of the work carried out by the European Commission at the mid-term of its current mandate, notably in the … Continue reading
The European social pillar and reform of economic and monetary union: setting European priorities
Written by Nora Milotay, On 1 March 2017, the European Commission launched its white paper on the future of Europe. The Commission also plans to publish five reflection papers before the end of June on major EU issues, such as the social dimension, globalisation, economic and monetary union, defence and finance. In this context, EPRS … Continue reading
European space policy; Historical perspective, specific aspects and key challenges
Written by Vincent Reillon, In the 1950s, development of the space sector in Europe was limited to investments made by individual Member States (France, Italy, the United Kingdom). The failure of the first European partnerships in space activities in the 1960s led to the establishment of the European Space Agency (ESA), an intergovernmental institution, in … Continue reading
The Juncker Commission’s ten priorities: State of play at the start of 2017
Written by Étienne Bassot and Wolfgang Hiller, More than two years since Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker took office on 1 November 2014, having presented the ten priority areas that would serve as his Commission’s guiding lines for the following five years, the European Commission is now approaching the midway point of its mandate. Building on the … Continue reading
Hearing of Commissioner-designate Sir Julian King
On 12 September, Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee will hold a hearing of Commissioner-designate Sir Julian King (Security Union). He has been nominated as a result of the resignation of Lord Hill following the outcome of the UK referendum on withdrawal from the Union. Continue reading
The State of the Union [What Think Tanks are thinking]
This note offers links to commentaries, studies and reports on the topic from major international think tanks on the state of the EU and possible reforms. Continue reading
The Juncker Commission’s ten priorities: State of play in 2016
Written by Étienne Bassot and Wolfgang Hiller, A year and a half has elapsed since Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker took office on 1 November 2014, having presented the ten priority areas which would serve as his Commission’s guiding lines for the next five years and which would therefore form the basis of its annual work … Continue reading
European Commission’s 2016 Work Programme
Written by Ariane Debyser On 27 October 2015, the European Commission adopted its Work Programme for the year ahead (2016 CWP), and presented it to the European Parliament the same day. Based on the 10 political guidelines set out in mid-2014 by President Jean-Claude Juncker, it builds on the ‘framework strategies’ adopted by the Commission … Continue reading
European Commission: Facts and Figures
Written by Christian Dietrich and Giulio Sabbati, The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. Under the Treaties, its tasks are to ‘promote the general interest of the Union’, without prejudice to individual Member States, ‘ensure the application of the Treaties’ and adopted measures, and ‘execute the budget’. It further holds a … Continue reading
State of the Union #SOTEU
Written by Aidan Christie The US President’s State of the Union address has been an annual feature for generations. The corresponding speech to the European Parliament by the President of the Commission has a shorter history but its aim is essentially the same – to report publicly to parliamentarians, and to a broader audience of … Continue reading
Tackling long-term unemployment in the EU
Written by Verena Kern With the onset of the crisis, unemployment rates have increased sharply throughout Europe and the trend seemed set to continue. However in March 2015, the European Commission reported that, for the first time since 2009, the LTU rate fell slightly. Currently, long-term unemployment (LTU) stands at 4,9% for the EU. LTU … Continue reading
The European Commission’s right to withdraw a legislative proposal
Written by Eva Poptcheva On 14 April 2015, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) delivered a judgment on the power of the Commission to withdraw a legislative proposal during the legislative procedure. The Court confirmed, for the first time, that the right of the Commission to withdraw legislative proposals is inseparable from its … Continue reading
European Commission’s 2015 Work Programme
Written by Etienne Bassot, Ariane Debyser and Eva-Maria Poptcheva On 16 December 2014 the newly appointed European Commission adopted its Work Programme for the year ahead (2015 CWP). Based on the political guidelines set out by its President, Jean-Claude Juncker, the Programme forms the basis for the Commission’s work in putting these ten priorities into … Continue reading
Voting on the new Commission
Written by Nicole Zandi The lead-up to the European Commission’s appointment in autumn 2014 had its fair share of excitement. With five Member States failing to choose their candidates by the 1 August deadline, to unprepared Commissioners-designate, and disgruntled MEPs, the new Commission has sparked debate and speculation like never before. Our colleagues in the … Continue reading
A year of change: the European Parliament in 2014
Written by Nicole Zandi Our role in the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) is to support parliamentary debate through ensuring Members are well-informed, in particular through our online and printed products. This year’s European election, and start of the eighth parliamentary term, has put us to the test. To mark the occasion the EPRS team … Continue reading
Historical Archives – 2014 at a glance
Written by Alexandra Devantier 2014 was an exciting year of rebranding and new visibility for the Historical Archives (formerly known as Archive and Documentation Centre, CARDOC), now part of the European Parliamentary Research Services. Through publications, events, exhibitions and info sessions we bring the fascinating world of our archives closer to all those willing to learn more about the … Continue reading
The economic potential of the ten-point Juncker Plan for growth without debt
This paper offers a series of provisional estimations of the potential gains to the European Union economy over time from pursuing the ten-point plan presented by Jean-Claude Juncker to the European Parliament before he was elected President of the European Commission in July 2014. These guidelines also correspond to a significant degree to policy priorities established by the Members … Continue reading
The €315 billion Investment Plan for Europe
Written by Angelos Delivorias The economic and financial crisis led to a 14% reduction in investment in the EU from the pre-crisis peak of 2007 (€2 606 billion in 2013, compared to €3 039 billion in 2007, in 2013 prices), despite a pressing need for more investment. The European Commission believes that this is due to uncertainty … Continue reading
In Focus: EU institutions
Written by Nicole Zandi Since the European Parliament elections in May and the new Commission taking office in November; an atmosphere of change in the EU institutions has highlighted 2014 as an important year. So far we have seen widespread aspirations to create a more balanced, fairer and transparent EU, which is perhaps a good … Continue reading
Stoiber Group on administrative burdens in EU law: better law-making in action
Written by Stéphane Reynolds and Anita Orav The High-Level Group on Administrative Burdens or the Stoiber Group was established in 2007 as an independent body to advise the European Commission on its planned Action Programme for administrative burden reduction (ABR) in respect of EU legislation. The latter programme set a 25 per cent reduction target … Continue reading
